‘Monkey Selfie' Lawsuit Is No Laughing Matter, Argues UK Photographer

"Monkey see, monkey sue is not good law" was the argument put forward by UK photographer David Slater in his opposition to a copyright lawsuit filed by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).

The photographer filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit at the US District Court for Northern District of California on Friday, November 6.

"A monkey, an animal-rights organisation and a primatologist walk into federal court to sue for infringement. What seems like the setup for a punch line is really happening," the court document stated.

In September, PETA sued Slater, alleging that his reproduction of a 'monkey selfie' photograph in his 2014 book "Wildlife Personalities" constituted infringement.

The 'monkey selfie' was a photograph taken by a macaque ape using Slater's camera while he was on an expedition in Indonesia in 2011. Slater has publicly admitted that he left the camera unattended and that Naruto, the name of the macaque ape, took a series of photographs including the one at the centre of the dispute.

The 'monkey selfie' has become popular on the internet with many users of social media sharing the image.

In 2012, Slater registered the image with the US Copyright Office.

PETA has claimed that the rights to the image belong to the macaque ape and that any royalties from the sale of it should be...